1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a thermal camouflage material, and in particular to a camouflage material for use on tanks and other vehicles for use in a desert environment.
Solar loading on the air temperature inside of a tank is a serious problem, particularly in desert regions. For example, in Afghanistan, ambient temperatures in excess of 40° C. can cause the temperature inside of a tank to exceed 80° C. Painting the tank beige to match local sand does not significantly reduce the temperature in the crew department.
2. Description of Related Art
Existing materials for reducing solar loading of vehicles consist mainly of thermal insulation, e.g. a layer of polyurethane foam coated with a thermal reflector such as aluminum to reflect the sun's rays. The thermal insulation layer is covered with a camouflage patterned material providing physical protection from the elements. One problem with such a material is that because the insulating layer is in direct contact with the skin of the vehicle it does not allow the escape of heat produced inside the vehicle, and the surface layer does not reduce the vehicle's signature in the thermal band because the layer is optimized to reflect incident solar radiation.